Milford will celebrate its 10th annual Bug & Bud Festival on Saturday, April 27 and you know what that means? It's time to dust off your ladybug and tree costumes for the annual parade!

The lowdown

The Bug & Bud, held in downtown Milford and co-presented by Downtown Milford Inc. and the Milford Parks & Rec Department, will kick off with its annual parade. The parade will be spearheaded by the festival band, comprised of members from the Milford Community Band. Kids and adults and are encouraged to wear their best ladybug and tree costumes at the parade and the winner of each category will earn $50, said Irvin Ambrose, board president of Downtown Milford Inc.

Afterward, the Milford Community Band will entertain at the library's amphitheater at 11 a.m., followed by other local talent.

Throughout the day, more than 100 arts and crafts and food vendors will be selling goods downtown. In addition, free paddleboat rides will be given at the Vineyard Shipyard. Children will also enjoy the Kids Korner at Bicentennial Park as it'll feature games and inflatables. Memorial Park will include nature-oriented demonstrations, Ambrose added.

Why it's a big deal

There's a special reason why Milford goes gaga over the Bug & Bud. The genesis of the festival dates back to 1974 when Delaware adopted the ladybug as the state's insect after second-graders at Lulu Ross Elementary School decided the First State deserved a state insect. The students, along with their teacher, Mollie Brown-Rust, petitioned the legislature to designate the ladybug as the state bug, and the rest was history, Ambrose said.

However, the ladybug wasn't the only candidate the students considered for the state's insect. "They kicked around the idea of having the mosquito," Ambrose said. "When you spend a summer here in Delaware, you're going to find the mosquito is rather prevalent. But they decided that wasn't a really good idea."

The "Bud" portion of the festival commemorates Arbor Day, since Milford has a great tree population. Ambrose said 600 tree saplings will be given to attendees in honor of the festival's 10th anniversary.